Week-Long Promotion Celebrates the Vibrant Cultures of South Africa and New Orleans through Wine and Food
New Orleans, LA October 11, 2018 – Wines of South Africa (WoSA) USA (www.wosa.us), the industry association which promotes the exports of South African wine, is excited to announce the second annual South African Wine Week taking place in New Orleans from November 7th to 13th, 2018. After a successful first edition in 2017, WoSA once again looks forward to a busy week of tastings, happy hours, special by-the-glass pours, and creative South African wine and New Orleans food pairings across the city.
Braithe Tidwell, Wine Director of Brennan’s Restaurant, which will be participating in South African Wine Week after a positive experience in 2017, says, “South African Wine Week enables us here in New Orleans to discover and enjoy both well-established and breakthrough wines from this incredible part of the world. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our local wine lovers and wine community to come together to explore the winemaking trends and developments going on in a beautiful country with growing importance on the global wine stage.”
This year, fifteen restaurants, bars and other local venues will take part in the week-long promotion; names can be found below. Jim Clarke, US Marketing Manager for WoSA, says, “We’re excited to launch South African Wine Week for the second year in a row in New Orleans. We hope to spread the word to wine lovers here that not only are South African wines a great match with Creole and Cajun cuisines, but they offer excellent diversity and variety. Being a relatively unknown wine region to many wine consumers, people are often surprised and gratified to learn of their high quality yet accessible prices. Even better, they’re becoming more and more readily available in the US market.”
Although thousands of miles distant, New Orleans was chosen as the city to host and promote South African Wine Week for both cultural and culinary reasons. Both are formed from a colorful blend of heritages that have created unique cultures in and of themselves and are reflected in the local foods. South African wines are paired with the spicy, rich, often fried and meat-based cuisine in their homeland, and likewise are a perfect match for classic Cajun and Creole dishes with their medleys of vegetables, meats, fried renditions, and spices. Indeed, both cuisines have emerged, like the cultures, from a vibrant blend of countries, flavors, and traditions.
WHERE TO GO FOR SOUTH AFRICAN WINE WEEK SPECIALS:
Thursday, November 8:
Pearl Wine Co., 3700 Orleans Ave. 504.483. 6314.
5-7 pm: Consumer tasting hosted by Jim Clarke
Cru, Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave. 504.266.2856
Date night special with double order of pairing
Bar 1908, Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave. 504.481.9599
Date night special with double order of pairing
Saturday, November 10:
Brennan’s, 417 Royal St. 504.525.9711.
3-5 pm: Comparative wine tasting with South African wines tasted alongside similar wines from around the world with Jim Clarke and sommelier Braithe Tidwell
Bacchanal, 600 Poland Avenue. 504.948.9111.
3-5 pm: Wine tasting hosted by Bar Bacchanal Staff
Week-long specials:
Bar Frances, 4525 Freret St. 504.371.5043
Featured flight of South African wines and by-the-glass specials
Rosedale, 801 Rosedale Dr. 504.309.9595
Featured flight of South African wines and by-the-glass specials
Mondo, 900 Harrison Ave. 504.224.2633
Featured flight of South African wines and by-the-glass specials
Meauxbar, 942 N Rampart St. 504.569.9979.
By-the-glass and bottle specials of South African wines, with featured food pairings
MayPop, 611 O’Keefe Ave. 504.518.6345.
By-the-glass specials of South African wines
MoPho, 514 City Park Ave. 504.482.6845.
By-the-glass specials of South African wines
Brady’s Wine Warehouse, 1029 Oretha Castle, Haley Blvd., Suite C. 504.662.1488
More details to come
Cru, Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave. 504.266.2856
By-the-glass feature with lobster arancini pairing
Bar 1908, Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave. 504.481.9599
By-the-glass feature with lobster arancini pairing
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans Ave. 504.523.1930
South African wines featured by-the-glass
W.I.N.O. – Wine Institute of New Orleans, 610 Tchoupitoulas St. 504.324.8000
By-the-glass specials of South African wines
Martin Wine Cellar, The Village Shopping Center, 2895 US 190, Mandeville. 985.951.8081
Free tastings of South African wines offered
A full list of events for the week is available at www.SAWineWeekNOLA.com, and participants will be sharing their experiences all week on social media using the hashtag #SAWineWeek. Members of the press are invited to explore South African Wine Week with an exclusive pass. Contact Diana Zahuranec at dzahuranec@colangelopr.com for recommendations to generate story ideas or for further information.
About Wines of South Africa
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is the organization representing all South African producers of wine who export their products. WOSA, which was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 exporters in its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. It is constituted as a not-for-profit company and is totally independent of any producer, wholesaling company, or government department but is recognized by the South African Export Council. WOSA’s mandate is to promote the export of all South African wines in key international markets, including the United States.
